. >> when u.s. airways and american merger later this month, there will only be four major carriers left in the u.s. in 2001 there were 10. delta, southwest, and u.s.- american. the consolidations have not cause a spike in ticket prices. pricewaterhousecoopers found they are up less than 2% a year. the volume of first-class mail was down 4.5%. congress mandated that the postal service freeze on health- care benefits. since then, the u.s. ps has been struggling. the have toys default on loan payments. it is still on clear if they can do it without the help of congress. the so-called fiscal cliff may have been resolved. at the beginning in january, a sharp increase in payroll taxes has taken a bite out of our wallets. the chain store sales have weakened as they suggest consumer confidence is suffering. the 2% applies to all earned didn't come up to $113,000. the payroll tax holiday will decrease disposable income. running through midnight, qualifying products will be exempt from the 6% sales tax. it b